The Feelings of a Duck and Her Knight
by prettyinpinkgal
Summary: Duck broods about the facts that she's an orphan and that Mytho loves Tutu and only Tutu. Fakir takes notice, and new feelings begin to develop. Finished! Thanks for sticking with me!
1. Chapter One: What Does She Think?

**Prettyinpinkgal: My first Tutu story! Please review:D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu. **

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT**

**CHAPTER ONE: WHAT DOES SHE THINK?****  
**

_"What do you think of me?"_

Duck laid in her bed, pondering over what Mytho had told Princess Tutu. She sighed. There was no way she could answer him. Besides, if he found out she was a duck-gone-human, he would definitely reject her. Plus, he'd only told Tutu he loved her, not Duck. Not the girl who was terrible at ballet and constantly got threats from Mr. Cat that she had to marry him.

Duck slipped out of bed. "Time for school," she mumbled to herself. She dressed and got the birds' food ready. She opened the window and was attacked by the hungry animals. She put it on the windowsill and sighed again. _I want to be cheerful, but I can't.

* * *

_As Duck walked down the school's yard, Fakir himself was there. He glanced around, searching for any sign of Mytho.

"Whoa," he heard someone say. "Check out Duck." Fakir turned and noticed two girls. _Those are the girls that redhead Duck hangs out with. _He turned to where that purple-haired girl was pointing. Sure enough, there was Duck, looking depressed. Fakir's heart began hurting because of seeing her in that state. He caught himself.

"What was that feeling just now...?" he quietly asked himself. Fakir noticed that the girls were gone, most likely in class already. He saw Mytho head into the building. As he started getting up from his seat on the bench to go after him, he realized Duck was sitting on the grass, not even noticing the warning bell. Most of the schoolkids retreated inside the building until only Fakir and Duck remained.

Fakir walked up to her and sat beside the girl. She perked up, as though suddenly realizing his presence, but still kept the sad look on her face. "Oh, Fakir. It's you. Um, what are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question. I mean, the bell already rang and everything." He thought the mention of this would get her moving, and she would freak out and yell, "Oh no! You mean the bell already rang? I'm so late late LATE!" like she usually did. But she remained seated, seemingly unconcerned.

"Oh, really? That's nice."

This new Duck was starting to creep Fakir out. I mean, she was usually so clutzy, an airhead, a horrible dancer, and not even that pretty. _Well,_ he thought. _She is SORT of cute. _Realizing what he said, Fakir's face grew dark red, not understanding why he would think such a thing.

"Come on! Let's go to class," Fakir said, grabbing Duck's wrist and pulling her along. With Duck still not talking, she brought her to the door of her classroom and left to his own class.

* * *

_"How do you think of me? How do you think of me? How do you think of me? How..." _Suddenly, Fakir's face popped into Duck's mind. He said, "How do you think of me?" 

"I DON'T KNOW!" Duck yelled this right in the middle of Mr. Cat's lecture for her. It was right at the part where he said, "Now do you WANT to get married to me?"

The entire classroom gawked at the magical girl, even Mr. Cat. "I mean, no, I do not want to marry you, heh heh," Duck said hesitantly.

Mr. Cat, sweatdropping like crazy, said, "Well, then. Ah, that's enough of your lecture to day, Miss Duck. I'll get to the important announcement I was about to tell the rest of the class when you arrived. We shall be having a parent's day tomorrow. All your parents or guardians have been notified. It's a chance to show them what you know and have accomplished." He turned to Duck. "I'm afraid that I haven't been able to get in contact with _your _parents, Miss Duck. I don't have their address."

Duck's heart nearly stopped. "Um, my parents...I don't have any parents." She felt the whole class stare at her as she sank lower in her chair.

"What about guardians?" Mr. Cat asked quietly. Duck shook her head. "Well, I'm terribly sorry about that. I'd like to say that you need not to come to school tomorrow, but you shall need all the practice time you can get on your ballet."

"Yes."

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY**

Fakir felt his adoptive father walk behind him. "We don't get to talk much," his father said. "Do you have a lot of friends."

"No."

"Oh. Well, how about girlfriends?"

Immediately, Duck popped into Fakir's mind. He shook his head, blushing a bit. "Of course not. I don't have time to be wrapped up in stupid stuff like girlfriends."

* * *

Duck entered through the gate and entered the schoolyard. Boys and girls with their parents laughed and talked. Duck was double depressed; not just from Mytho, but from her being an orphan. Her mother had died in childbirth, and her father had passed away from illness when she was eight. She went to live in the dorms for the school, and that's where she still was. 

"Oh, I think I've seen you before, miss!" someone called. Duck turned and almost quacked when she saw the smith, Fakir's foster father, standing there smiling at her. Fakir was by his side, looking away.

"You're the smith, right?" she asked.

"Yes that's right. I'm Fakir's father. Pleased to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too! I'm Duck," she said. She wasn't as visibly depressed today.

"Well, I'd better get going. Fakir, you can stay here for a while if you want. I'll see you in class. Nice seeing you, Miss Duck." With that, he walked off to the classroom.

Duck took a breath and walked over to Fakir, who was beginning to walk away. "Um, Fakir?"

Fakir glanced her way. "What?"

"I wanted to thank you. For yesterday," she replied, looking at the ground.

"Oh, sure. Don't mention it."

* * *

Fakir looked at the girl, who was staring at the ground, slightly red in the face. "Are you feeling better?" he asked in spite of himself. 

Duck looked at him and put on a plastic smile. "Um, yeah, sure." Her stuttering made it clear that she really wasn't. He looked at her expectantly. After a couple seconds, the tune started, warning the other students to get to class. Everyone rushed into the school, while Fakir and Duck remained outside.

"Oh, I should get to class..." Duck started, but Fakir grabbed her hand. She looked at him, surprised, and Fakir dropped it quickly.

"It's just that...well..." He could feel Duck staring at him, surprised at his stuttering. I mean, it's not every day that Fakir doesn't have it together. "Come on, let's skip class."

"What? But Fakir, you're dad's here! You should be here too!" Duck cried out wildly, expressing her thoughts with waves of her hands.

Fakir smiled in spite of himself. "It's fine. Come on," he said, waving her to follow him. They left the schoolgrounds and began wandering through the city.

**Prettyinpinkgal: This is going to be a very short story, probably only one or two more chapters long. Please review! Thanks! Sorry for the bad chapter title :(  
**


	2. Chapter Two: Discovered Identity

**Prettyinpinkgal: I'm surprised by how many reviews I have received in a lil more than a week! Thank you, everybody! I'm sorry for the shortness of the first chappy. This will end up being a short chapter too, I'm afraid! I think even shorter > Gomen! I just really want this chapter up! Plus, it's the perfect place to end the chapter. Gomen nasai!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Princess Tutu." It belongs to Junichi Sato. Not me XD And I don't own "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." I made a little revision, though. I don't think it's that great, but it was the only thing I could think of XS  
**

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT**

**CHAPTER TWO: DISCOVERED IDENTITY  
**

_**Once upon a time, there were twelve princesses. The princesses were very beautiful, and they loved to dance.**_

_**The princesses had a secret. At night, they would take a trip to another castle and dance with the princes. They adored it, for not only were they allowed to dance and be with handsome princes, but they were excellent at it, too.**_

_**However, one night, one of the princesses stepped on the princes foot multiple times and eventually retreated to the wall and simply watched her sisters dance. Would the young woman ever dance with her prince again, or was she forever doomed to be seperated from him?**_

Duck followed Fakir in spite of herself. She mentally scolded herself for doing this; Mr. Cat would give her the whole "marriage" lecture again when she came back. However, she wanted to know why Fakir was actually taking interest in her feelings. She remembered imagining the knight saying, "What do you think of me?" A blush exploded on her face and shook her head furiously. _No no no! I can't think of that!_

Fakir turned and caught a glimpse of Duck in that state. She rubbed the back of her head, saying, "Heh heh."

He shook his head, excusing the motion. "You're weird."

"Yup, I know," came Duck's blunt reply as she ran up to walk beside him. Fakir ran his hand through his hair.

"You're _really _weird if you actually admit it so seriously."

The comment made Duck chuckle. Suddenly, she froze. She held up her pendant, and saw that it was glowing. "A heart shard?" she asked herself.

* * *

Fakir turned and saw the pendant. "What's going on with your pendant?" he asked the duck-girl beside him. (A/N This is before he knows that Duck is Princess Tutu.) 

He watched as the girl flipped out. "What, this? Oh, nothing nothing nothing! It does this sometimes! It's one of those mood necklaces! Yeah! That's it! Well, I'll be right back because I, well, you know, gotta go do something! Be right back!" With that, she zoomed off.

Fakir rolled his eyes. "Man, she's a pain." His eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right. There was something familiar about that pendant...

He was going to find out what.

* * *

Duck quickly looked around for the source of the heart shard. It came from a little girl sitting on a stoop as the kids in front of her played jumprope. The little girl stared at the ground. "I wish I could play, too," she whispered softly. 

Duck saw the red Mytho come out of the girl. "Yes, but what if they don't like you? What if you are scorned if you make a mistake?"

_I gotta transform into Princess Tutu now!_ Duck thought as she rushed into an alley. In an instant, she was the graceful and elegant Princess Tutu.

She stepped out. "Young miss," she said. "Would you like to dance with me?" The girl looked frightened, and shook her head.

"I...I might make a mistake. Um, who are you?" the girl asked. "I'm Rosetta."

Tutu smiled. "It's wonderful to make you aquantence, Miss Rosetta. I am Princess Tutu," the dancer said as she cursied.

"And you want me to dance with you? _Me?_"

"The feeling you have in your heart is not yours. I'll let you play with those other children if you'd like. Just be free and dance!" The two danced, and the ballet dancer could see Rosetta beaming. The heart shard revealed itself to be the feeling of shyness, and minimized and laid in Tutu's hand. The princess curtsied and hopped off. The real world appeared, and Rosetta happily went and joined the other children.

Tutu appeared at the school, allowing only Mytho to see her. "Princess Tutu," he said.

The princess smiled sadly. She handed the shard back to the prince before she curtsied and disappeared before Mytho could say anything else.

The ballet princess transformed back into Duck, and quickly ran back to the place she had last seen Fakir. Suddenly, a hand clamped her mouth shut and pulled her into a dark alleyway, pushing her up against the wall.

"So, you're Princess Tutu," the voice said.

_This is so creepy! Somebody help me, please! Fakir, HELP! _Duck hesitantly opened her eyes, although she was scared to death. When her attacker's face came into focus, her eyes widened.

_Fakir?_

**Prettyinpinkgal: Dun dun DUN! Fakir knows! Duck's found out! With this new discovery, will the two ever see each other as something other than enemies? Find out next time!**

**Drosselmeir: All who love stories, come gather 'round! **


	3. Chapter Three: Thoughts and Feelings

**Prettyinpinkgal: Woot! I love you guys! In a non-sick way! I'm really happy that you guys all love the story so far. I'm pulling an all nighter tonight (at least, the best I can. I pulled an all-nighter last night too, so I'm kinda tired. But I'm at my relative's place, and she let's me stay up as late as I can, so I wanna take advantage of it), so hopefully it gets finished before six. Well, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu. Any events or characters not in the official storyline belong to me, however.**

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT**

**CHAPTER THREE: THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS**

_LAST TIME..._

Suddenly, a hand clamped her mouth shut and pulled her into a dark alleyway, pushing her up against the wall.

"So, you're Princess Tutu," the voice said.

_This is so creepy! Somebody help me, please! Fakir, HELP! _Duck hesitantly opened her eyes, although she was scared to death. When her attacker's face came into focus, her eyes widened.

_Fakir?

* * *

_

Duck stared at Fakir, who had a colder look to him than usual. She nearly quacked, but thanks to the tight grip Fakir's hand had on her mouth, she didn't. 

He sneered. "I knew it. You shouldn't wear your pendant in such plain view, Duck," he said, spitting out her name.

Duck trembled slightly. He knew. Fakir, the knight who vowed to protect the prince and hated her alter ego's guts, knew that she was the princess from the fairy tale. Why? Why had everything gone so wrong? _And we were beginning to be friendly, too, _she thought sadly.

Fakir released his tight grip on her, letting her slump against the wall. She rubbed her mouth, which was the most sore. Duck touched her pendant, then covered the red stone by turning it and hiding it under her small jacket. At least only Fakir knew.

"Pl..." Her voice caught, and she attempted to try again. "Please, don't tell anyone," she whispered.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone about your little secret."

"Th-thank you."

* * *

Fakir was shocked, although he covered it up with his rough expression. This clumsy, energetic girl with two left feet was the infamous Princess Tutu. How about that? When he began his sneering, he winced, although it was undetected by the frightened girl in front of him. He could tell just by her eyes that she was afraid, and, for some reason, his heart hurt. For the first time in so many years, he had began feeling...upset about another person. Mytho was different; he was Fakir's responsibility. And he considered him as, in some odd way, a friend. 

But Duck was different. With her freckled face half covered by his large hand, her body trembling, he felt something...different. More piercing. More heartwrenching. Was it because of the fact that he caused her fear? Yes, that was it. But why? Why _her_, of all people? She was just some clutzy girl that he just happened to slightly associate with more than he did with other girls. He didn't care if he scared anyone else with his rough aura. So why should he care if he scared her?

He was simply acting cruel. He couldn't afford to allow himself to become soft, especially with Duck.

Knocking Fakir back to reality, Duck said, "F-Fakir, why do you hate me so much?"

He almost said, "I don't hate you." In fact, he felt the urge that he should. But Duck was his hated enemy. Well, the hate was one-sided. Either way...

"I have to go," he said angrily. Fakir left without another word. When he arrived in his room, he laid down on his bed to think. He could have easily come up with some comeback without making some excuse to get away. Why was it that that girl could make him act so different?

* * *

Duck watched as Fakir left. She curled into a ball and buried her head in her dress. Fakir hated her guts. Mytho liked Tutu, but not Duck. Kraehe despised Duck as well, and was trying to steal heart shards. Tears, which rarely appeared on the happy-go-lucky girl's face, began welling up. Everything was going wrong. She took a shuddering breath in order to regain control of her tears, but instead, she began sobbing. Drosselmeyer never said it would be easy, but she had only been collecting heart shards for a month or so! Now, there's suddenly Princess Kraehe popping up and demanding that Tutu stops collecting Mytho's heart, Mytho's admitting he loves Princess Tutu, and Fakir hates both her identities now! 

_Well, _the sad girl wondered, _I don't care what Fakir thinks of me! He's always been mean! But still...somehow, I don't like thinking that he hates me. It's different than if any other person said they hated me; it's like this matters so much to me. Why DO I care what Fakir thinks of me?_

Another flashback occured of her thought of Fakir saying, "What do you think of me?" Duck pressed her face deeper into her wrinkled skirt. She sobbed, wondering what she did indeed think of the boy. He was so dark and mysterious, yet he could be so determined to help Mytho, and he was very smart, too. He was a wonderful dancer, and Duck knew in her heart that Fakir was not always cruel. Hadn't he tried to cheer her up earlier? And Duck knew that Fakir suffered with his own problems, too. She had seen him crying that one night, and he had smiled at her duck version. Hmm...Now that she thought of it, he had also tried cheering her up earlier. That was pretty out of character for him. Why did he try cheering her up?

After staying in this position for a while, Duck's tears finally subsided. Being her first real cry in a while, she felt as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Wiping her face, she smiled slightly as she stood up and stretched. "I haven't done that in a long time." A tune wandered its way into Duck's ears. The magical girl immediately recognized the tune. After straightening her skirt, she ran and cried, "Miss Edal!"

"Hello, Duck. How may I help you?" the green-haired woman said.

Leaning in to her ear to whisper, Duck replied, "You know about me being Tutu, right? Well, Fakir found out about me, and he hates my guts! And for some reason, I hate that he hates me! What's going on with me?"

When Duck backed up from Edal's ear, the woman smiled. She took out a gem and said, "This stone went through many hardships when being created, but now it is a shining jewel." Handing it to Duck, she said, "A princess need not always be with a prince."

Duck stared at the jewel in her hand. When she looked up, the woman was gone.

**Prettyinpinkgal: Comment please! I love getting reviews:D I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you all next time!**


	4. Chapter Four: Saying Sorry

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hey! Eighteen reviews! Yay! A billion thanks, everyone! I'm so happy :D  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu. Okay? Okay.**

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT**

**CHAPTER FOUR: SAYING SORRY**

Duck went over to sit down on a nearby bench. Miss Edal's words ran through her head. _"A princess need not always be with a prince." _

She sighed. _What did Miss Edal mean by that? I'm so confused! Wait... Could she be talking about me and Mytho? _The more the girl thought, the more confused she got. Sighing, she decided she'd put off thinking about the puppet's words for the next day. "I wonder what I do now? It's too late to go to school, and I don't want to go back to the dorm..." Duck then decided to go walk around the town for a while.

"Mommy!" she heard someone cry. Duck turned, and saw a young girl running up to a woman. "Look at the duckies over there! They're so cute!"

Duck accidentally said, "Quack!" Transforming into a duck, she quickly brought the clothes over to the river. _Darn it! I have to learn to stop quacking! _

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the little girl say, "Mommy, look! This one's the cutest!" To her surprise, the little girl came up to her. "Hiya, little duckie! I'm Maron! What's your name?"

"Quack!" Duck replied, smiling at Maron, who appeared to be five years old.

Maron's mother went up beside the girl. "She _is _adorable."

_Hee, _Duck thought happily. _This is the first time I've ever been called cute._

Cautiously, Maron brought her hand over to Duck's small head. She giggled with excitement when Duck let her pet her head.

"Well, Maron, let's go home..."

"Wait!" Maron said to her mom. She turned to Duck. "Bye bye, Miss Duck." To her mother, she said, "Don't forget to say goodbye to Miss Duck, Mommy."

"It was nice to meet you, Miss Duck. Goodbye!" she said, holding her daughter's hand and leading her down the street. Maron looked back and waved. Duck raised a wing and waved back.

Once no one was around, she quickly got into the river and turned back into a duck, using her pendant. She jumped into the bush nearby that hid her clothes. She quickly changed and stepped out of the bush with a few twigs and leaves on her.

Duck smiled, but it slowly faded. _"Mommy!" _Maron had been saying. The little girl was so happy. Suddenly, after seeing the mother and daughter, Duck felt even more alone in the world. She had no mother or father. Even though she knew her father for eight years, he was away traveling for work most of the time. Duck knew her father loved her very much, and that was why he worked so hard, but she couldn't remember him at all. In fact, she couldn't remember anything before she was eight.

She was lonely. She wanted someone to be there always, someone other than her friends, with whom she can only confide in with small things.

"No! I can't be like this!" Duck shouted out of the blue. "I have to be happy and cheerful!" Putting on a smile and acting like she didn't have a care in the world, Duck began walking through the city.

* * *

Fakir was beating himself up mentally. It was quite a bloody scene. Just why was he beating himself up? Was it for skipping class with his foe? 

Nope.

Was it because he never figured out Duck and Tutu were the same?

Nuh-uh.

It was actually because—and Fakir couldn't believe this—he felt bad for making Duck upset.

Since when had Fakir ever concerned himself about a girl's _feelings_? That was for wimpy guys. He didn't care about anything. Except for protecting Mytho.

And Duck.

Another hard punch was thrown in the arena of Fakir's mind. _Why..._ he thought, frustrated. _Why the heck am I worried about some GIRL?_

He knew there was something different about how Duck made him feel. It wasn't friendship; it was something...different. But just what _was _that feeling? Fakir had no idea.

"Fine! If I'm this worried about it, I'll apol...o...gize..." Fakir pressed his hand against his mouth. Fakir was never one to apologize for doing something. He never apologized to his father, to Mytho, to anyone.

And here he was, thinking about apologizing to his enemy.

How about that?

_Knowing her... _he thought nervously. _She'll end up worrying about it and fall into the lake! Or she'll be so deep in thought that she'll end up getting lost! _Without another thought, Fakir got up and ran out of the room to find the girl.

* * *

Duck ended up pretty bored after a few minutes walking around the town by herself. _It's no fun if you go alone, _she thought gloomily. She decided to go into the forest nearby. Walking through the woods, she found a clearing and smiled. "I guess I should rest a second!" Duck sat down against a tree. 

"Ahhh, this feels nice," she sighed with joy. Her mood became serious.

_"Why do you hate me so much?" Fakir didn't answer my question. He really hates me..._

_"What do you think of me?" I can't tell you, Mytho. I'm sorry..._

_"I'm Princess Kraehe. I'll take what I want by force if need be!" Please...I want to protect Mytho..._

Duck bit her lip to keep from crying. _Protect..._

Could she really protect the prince? Could she save his heart?_  
_

Unable to fight it any longer, tears began streaming down Duck's cheeks, leaving wet trails behind. She took a shuddering breath. _No! _she thought. _I can't be like this! I have to be stronger, for Mytho's sake! _These thoughts caused her to sob more. When did she become so weak?

Meanwhile, Drosselmeyer watched the scene with delight. "Oh my," he said with glee. "Those thoughts are dangerous, truly dangerous. Doubting yourself only means trouble, you know. Oh, how wonderful; how terrible! If you continue crying and doubting, doubting and crying, you will soon end up losing your ability to fight, and that doesn't mean only mentally..."

Back in the woods, Duck said in a cracking voice, "I don't want to be like this! I want to protect! I want to protect the people around me! I want to help Kraehe be good! I want to tell Mytho how I feel about him! I want...!" The girl stopped, realizing what she almost said. _I want Fakir to like me. _But if she loved Mytho, why did she care what Fakir thought of her? She didn't mind too much when Rue didn't like her at first. So how come she cared about Fakir's thoughts about her?

_Do I love Mytho?_ The thought startled Duck. Of course she loved him...didn't she?

* * *

Fakir ran through town, searching for the girl in the streets. Someone stopped him and asked if he was looking for someone. The knight gave a description of Duck, and the man pointed towards the woods. Fakir thanked him and ran into the forest. 

Fakir came upon a large clearing. He was about to move on when he saw a figure against a tree. He cautiously stepped forward, unable to identify the figure. He took a few more quiet steps and saw it was a girl. It was Duck. His Duck.

Fakir's face turned blood red. _Since...Since when has she been _my _Duck_? He thought, embarrassed. Fakir stopped his mental rampage when he noticed that Duck was shaking. Silver streaks slid down her cheeks. Fakir's heart felt like a knife had been stabbed into it. She wasn't crying about him...was she?

Quietly, the knight stepped forward until he was right in front of the sobbing duck-girl, without her knowledge. "Hey," he said, almost silently.

Duck stopped shaking from her tears, and glanced up, her face red from crying. "F...Fakir?"

He nodded. "You okay?" he asked.

She turned away. Suddenly, she swirled around, smiling. "Yes! I'm fine! Thanks anyway, Fakir. Oh, but what are you doing out here? Maybe you like coming here? Sorry! I better get out of your way then! Um, maybe this is your own private place? Oops! I shouldn't ask, should I? Well, anyway, better go. Bye!" Duck said this seemingly in one breath as she turned on her heel and stiffly began walking away as if she were a mechanical toy.

With no warning, Fakir stopped her dead in her tracks by turning her around and embracing her. Fakir himself was barely aware of his actions. "I'm sorry."

Duck blinked, her face dark red. When she first met Fakir, she thought he was a coldhearted jerk who liked to be in control and boss Mytho around. But then, when she saw him crying that time (A/N I know the crying happened after Mytho asked "What do you think of me?" but this is fanfiction! Anything goes, right? Even out of order episodes!), she realized he was actually very kind. He just didn't like to show it.

However, Fakir apologizing was an entirely different matter. Whether he was secretly kind or not, him saying "I'm sorry" was something totally not Fakir-like. Especially now that he had found out Duck's alter ego.

Fakir continued. "I hurt you a lot, didn't I? I don't know if you'll forgive me or not, but I'm really, truly sorry." Duck's eyes compassionately narrowed. Even though it wasn't just Fakir's fault that she was crying, his attitude towards her made her just break down.

Duck looked up at Fakir, who backed up a little to see her face, but not enough to let go of her. Duck smiled. "Thank you, Fakir. I'm really glad you came looking for me today. Um, does this mean that you don't hate me?"

Fakir smiled, still barely noticing what he was doing. For once, he was doing something that came from the heart. Something kind. "I'd never hate you." They stayed like that for a while, when finally the old Fakir resurfaced and noticed his actions. With a blush spreading over his neck and face, Fakir let go of Duck and turned in the opposite direction, the direction out towards the town. "O...okay, let's go. But don't expect to see something like that from me too often, got it?"

Duck looked at him quizically. _I guess the old Fakir's back,_ she thought. Then she grinned. "Okay!"

"Then hurry up and let's get out of these stupid woods!" Still dark red, he grabbed Duck's hand and led her towards the town. Duck smiled. She felt much better, somehow, with Fakir. She felt happy; utter joy was in her soul.

And you know what? They never remembered to let go of the other's hand.

**Prettyinpinkgal: Yay! Another chapter! You know what, forget about what I said earlier about there not being too many chapters. I think there's gonna be. I'm also thinking about putting in another villain, one that could hear Duck's weak thoughts. What do you guys think? Please review!**


	5. Chapter Five: Is it Love?

**Prettyinpinkgal: 23 reviews? Seriously? Yatta! Awesome! Thanks everybody for your support! Here's the next chapter ;)**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Junichi Satou, so I don't own Princess Tutu.**

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT**

**CHAPTER FIVE: IS IT LOVE?**

"I am the feeling of humor," a heart shard said as started to shrink. Princess Tutu smiled. Another job well done.

"Tutu..." a voice said. The girl turned, widening her eyes as she realized it was Mytho. He walked over and closed his eyes, allowing Tutu to return the shard to him. He opened his eyes.

Tutu curtsied, and almost got away with running off without a word when the prince grabbed her wrist. She thought, _I was so close... _The magical girl turned to listen to what Mytho needed to say.

"You never answered me. What do you think of me?" Mytho asked, dropping the princess's hand. She looked into his eyes, which were slowly starting to show emotions with each shard that was returned to him.

_I can't tell him. I can't tell him that I love him... _Suddenly, the duck in disguise realized something. Her heart once sped up when she was with Mytho. She felt happy when he was near. The girl felt as though she could fly when she saw him. However, she wasn't feeling that anymore. Duck felt like he was a friend, but not someone she truly loved.

This revelation came so quickly, the girl almost cried, "Quack!" Luckily, she had managed to cover her mouth in time. When, she uncovered her mouth, she smiled sadly and said, "I'm sorry, my prince. I think of you as a dear friend of mine. However, I once felt...more strongly about you. I'm sorry, but I do not return your feelings."

Mytho frowned, but then smiled slightly. "I see. Thank you for telling me. I hope one day you find someone for you." With another saddened look, he walked away.

Once no one was in sight, the ballerina transformed back into her usual schoolgirl self. She sighed and slid onto the ground. So, she was over her crush with Mytho. She wouldn't have to tell him she loved him if she didn't.

_But how did it happen? I mean, I'm supposed to love the prince if I'm Princess Tutu, right? So what's going on? _The duck-girl sighed as she pondered this.

After sitting there for a while and still not understanding how the story she was living was suddenly changing, she got up and began heading towards her dorm.

**...PRINCESS TUTU...**

It had been a whole week since Fakir had found Duck in the woods. She occupied his thoughts constantly, and he couldn't make sense of it. What was it about this girl that made him act strangely?

He and Duck hadn't spoken much since the incident in the woods. In fact, one could say they were avoiding each other. Fakir was embarrassed about acting so "weak" in front of his foe, while Duck was avoiding Fakir because he seemed more angry than usual.

Fakir had finally admitted to himself that he was fond of Duck; anything more, he wasn't sure. This realization is due to the fact that his constant thoughts of Duck actually made him do something very unlike Fakir:

He had asked his foster father for help.

As we all know, Fakir is not someone who asks others for help. With being very skilled at ballet, he seemingly never asks help from his teacher. Living with Mytho and protecting him from Princess Kraehe made him very self-reliant, so if Fakir needs to ask for help, it's a pretty big deal.

_**It was evening, with stars twinkling overhead as Fakir entered his old house. There was his father, hard at work. It always felt good to see the man again, even if Fakir hid it. After all, he was the only father Fakir knew. **_

_**Turning around, Charon noticed his son. He smiled and motioned for him to have a seat on one of the wooden chairs. "You abandoned me on Parent's Day," the smith joked.**_

_**Fakir took a moment to recall what happened that day, and remembered finding about Duck's alter ego and comforting her in the woods. He was surprised it all happened in a single day. "Sorry about that. I was...helping someone."**_

_**Charon simply smiled. "I'm guessing it was Miss Duck?" Fakir stared at his father, surprised he figured it out. Noticing this, he continued. "I sensed something was going on between you two. That's why I left. You know, Fakir, I've raised you ever since you were young. You may put on a tough attitude, and I know normally you don't help people, but you do have a hidden kindness. I wonder why you only let it show around Miss Duck, even if it is only slightly..." the man pondered aloud, although he had a feeling he knew the answer.**_

_**Fakir shifted in his chair. "Actually, that's what I came to ask you about. I don't really get why I'm like that around her. She's clumsy, a chatterbox, and sticks her nose in other people's business," he said, thinking about when she was Tutu. "But, for some reason, whenever I see her sad, I feel as if I got kicked in the stomach. And I always feel like my heart speeds up when I'm around her...it's weird..."**_

_**Charon, who knew Fakir better than anyone, was shocked that he was speaking so openly about his emotions. Then he smiled. "I want you to figure this out on your own. However, I will say this: Don't push her away. You really like this girl, so don't push her away like you do with others. Well, I'll get back to work now. It was good seeing you again, Fakir. Good luck," he said as he turned back to his work. He didn't see the dark red blush on Fakir's face, but he had a feeling it was there.**_

_**"Uh...bye. And, um, thanks." Charon held back a laugh. It was rare to hear Fakir so speachless and embarrassed.**_

_**As Fakir headed towards the door, his father called, "You know, I would like to see you and Miss Duck do a pas de deux together." **_

_**Fakir blushed a bit, then smiled slightly and said, "She's way too clumsy." With that, he shut the door.**_

Fakir sighed. He knew he definately had a crush on Duck. What to do about it, he was at a loss. He couldn't just go up to her and say, "I like you." Besides, he didn't even know how much he liked her. Not to mention he might get rejected if he confessed to Duck.

No. He couldn't tell her. The knight would just have to go day by day and see what happens to his feelings.

Much to Fakir's disappointment, his feelings grew. Then one day, Duck asked to speak with him privately. He could only stutter, "Uh...sure..."

They met in the dance room. In a determined voice, the girl said, "Fakir, I want us to be friends. I want us to fight together against Kraehe and restore Mytho's heart! If we're going to do this, then we have to talk to each other, so..." Duck trailed off, her face saddening.

Normally, Fakir would have said no way to both being friends and being allies. But there was something about this girl... It's not as if Mytho didn't want his heart back, and it wasn't like he was on Princess Kraehe's side. Plus, he sort of wanted to talk to her in a friendly way. "Fine."

Duck's face immediately brightened. "Really? That's great! We'll win back Mytho's heart, and everyone will live happily ever after!" she said, clenching a fist.

Without thinking, Fakir said, "You really like him, don't you?"

Duck turned to him. "Who?"

"Mytho." Then he remembered. "Oh wait, you can't say or else you'll vanish, right? Forget I said anything."

To his surprise, Duck said, "I turned him down. I realized I didn't love him anymore. It was probably just a crush. I do think of him as an important friend, though. Besides, nobody would want to love a girl that turns into a duck," she said, acting as if she didn't care, while it hurt a little.

Fakir blinked. "A...duck?"

Duck stared for a second, then sweatdropped. "Oh, that's right. You don't know that part yet, do you? When ever I say qu...I mean, the q-u-a-c-k word, I transform into a duck. And I'm stuck as a duck if I don't have my necklace on," she said, pointing to her pendant.

"Prove it."

She answered, "I can't. I need water to transform back into a girl with my pendant on, and when I do, I'm sort of...kind of...naked..." Duck whispered the last part while blushing immensely.

Fakir was about twice as red as she was. "W-well, never mind then. I believe you..." Suddenly, he recalled that time Tutu lost her pendant. There had been a duck there. She was trying to get the pendant. And when Fakir was crying, there was a duck, too...

Now Fakir jumped two feet back, hand covering his mouth, a blush covering his entire body. _She...she saw me crying... _"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" he yelled, startling the duck-girl.

"Well, I was worried that you'd hate me or something, because if I confessed about being a duck, I'd have to tell you about being Tutu, so I couldn't say anything!"

"Yeah, but you saw me crying!" he shouted, still red.

Duck looked quizically at him. "What's wrong with that? You saw me crying. And besides," she said, smiling. "You let me see the real you. There's nothing to be ashamed of about it." Fakir stared at this girl that he was crushing on. She was amazing, at least to Fakir. That's when he realized that it wasn't just like he felt; it was love. He wanted to hold her, and comfort her, and make her laugh (that alone would prove how much Fakir loved her; he never did anything funny). He was in love with her.

"Uh, Duck...?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Umm..." _I love you. _He shook his head. "Never mind. Wanna go into town?" _I'm such a wimp! _he mentally yelled at himself.

Duck gave him a wide smile. "Sure!" She tightly grabbed his hand and led him towards the door. Fakir savored the moment of her hand in his as they left the school. Even if for now they were just friends, one day--yes, maybe one day--they would be something more.

**Prettyinpinkgal: What did you think? Please review! And also, cupcakes to all my reviewers:)**


	6. Chapter Six: Swan Lake

**Prettyinpinkgal: Another update! Woot! I'm sorry it's been a few months since my last update. I still can't believe I have 36 reviews; I never would have guessed this story would be such a hit! When I started it, I thought I'd get a total of, like, ten at most. Thank you all so much! I'm sorry about Fakir's OOCness, and as for your question, Serena221, I never really thought about that. Huh... (thinks about it) You know, you should write something about that, I'm sure it'd be good! Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Princess Tutu." I'm not Japanese, I'm not an adult, and I'm most certainly NOT a guy, so I'm not Junichi Sato! And I don't own "Swan Lake."  
**

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT**

**CHAPTER SIX: SWAN LAKE**

About a week after Fakir realized he loved Duck, Mr. Cat declared to the class, "We will be having a performance of 'Swan Lake,' so anyone interested should sign up by Friday next week for the auditions. Whoever becomes runner-up for Odette...will have the pleasure of marrying me!" Wedding bells rang as the class watched in disgust and terror.

After class, Fakir and Duck were walking through the hallway. "Are you signing up?" Fakir asked the redhead.

"Sign up for what?" Duck asked innocently.

"A character in 'Swan Lake.' Are you going to sign up for one?"

Duck shook her head. "I'm really bad at ballet, except for when I'm you-know-who," she said, saying "you-know-who" in a whisper.

Fakir sighed. He couldn't argue with her there. "Don't you practice or anything?" he asked.

"I do sometimes, but I can never do it. Besides, it's not like I get very much encouragement from people, especially from Pike and Lilie," she said, her expression gloomy.

"Well, I'll help you practice, if you want," Fakir said without thinking.

"REALLY?" Duck shouted in surprise, making everyone turn around to look at the two. "Sorry, sorry," she said, embarrassed, and everyone went back to their business. They were pretty used to Duck. "But are you really serious, Fakir?" Duck asked.

"W-well, sure," he said, blushing a bit. _It lets me spend some time with Duck. _

"Oh, thank you!" she cried, revealing how much she really wanted to be in the production, and embraced the knight, which made him blush even more.

"Hey! Don't do stupid things like that!" He ignored the part of him that was enjoying the moment.

* * *

It was Sunday, and Fakir was waiting rather impatiently for Duck to get ready for her training. 

"Hurry up!" he said as she stretched on the bar.

"Can't you just wait for two minutes?" she shot back, although she didn't sound very angry.

Fakir watched as she stretched and sighed. She wasn't even that great at stretching; she wasn't very flexible.

After stretching, Duck and Fakir went over the movements. For the auditions, each person was supposed to create their own choreography for the character they desired to be. Duck came up with ideas for the character Odette, whom she desperately wanted to be, while Fakir decided whether they'd be too dull, over-the-top, etc. After another half hour...

"Can't you come up with any better ideas, Duck?" Fakir said, exhasperated. As much as he loved Duck, she could be so...!

Duck frowned, annoyed. "Forget it! I'm just going to make it up as I go! Besides, the point of dancing is the feeling behind it, right? So I'll just try put Odette's feelings into my dancing." She had a thoughtful expression as she said the last part, then went to the center of the room.

_Alright, _Duck thought. _Let me think... The story of the swan princess is about a beautiful princess who is transformed into a swan by a wicked sorcerer named Von Rothbart. The only time she's in human form is during the night, and the only way to break the spell is if someone declares his love to Odette. She meets the handsome prince Siegfried, and he comes to know of her curse. The two fall in love, but Von Rothbart keeps them from being together. He disguises his daughter Odile as Odette, and the prince declares his love to her instead of the true Odette, which causes the real Odette to begin to die. Seigfried realizes his mistake, kills Von Rothbart, and saves the dying Odette by confessing how much he loves her. She dies, but then comes back to life after a moment. They get married and live happily ever after.  
_

While Duck thought of this, she danced each scene briefly, putting her feelings into each motion. She realized just how alike she and Odette were: Both were cursed to turn into birds, although Duck could keep from turning into the animal if she really tried. And in a way, they both felt some of the same feelings.

Fakir's eyes widened as he gazed at Duck. Her movements weren't perfect, her balance was a little awkward, and she couldn't dance on her toes like a real ballerina, but the feeling behind it was true. It was captivating, and coming from a harsh critic like Fakir, that said a lot.

Duck's dance ended, and she began panting a little. "How was I?" she asked, sweating a bit.

Fakir blushed as he realized he was still still staring at her. He looked away and said, "You're movements aren't smooth enough, and you have to gain more flexibility and balance."

"Oh." Even with his eyes closed, he could tell Duck was disappointed simply by her tone.

Sighing, he said with a slight smile, "But you definitely capture the audience with your dancing. Keep it up." Glancing at Duck, he noticed how her face brightened as she smiled.

"Really? That's great! So, will you help me with everything else?"

"I already agreed to it, didn't I?"

"I guess that's true."

"Anyway, your greatest weakness in the dance is that it looks too stiff. Practice at the bar some more."

"Yes!"

* * *

On Monday, after practicing stretching for so long the previous day, Duck groaned as her body ached. Pike and Lilie noticed this. 

"Hey Duck, what's with you? You've groaned ten times in the last two minutes," Pike mentioned as she walked to school with her friends.

"Oh, well, I was practicing stretching yesterday, because I want to try auditioning for Odette..." Duck said with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head. She wasn't sure how her best friends would take the news.

"Oh really, Duck? That's nice," Lilie replied as they continued down the road. Duck stopped and stared. She couldn't believe they were being so calm about it!

"U-um, well, aren't you guys going to say something other than that?" Duck said cautiously.

"What else do we have to say?" Pike asked as she and Lilie continued walking while Duck ran to catch up. "There's nothing wrong with auditioning."

"And besides," Lilie added. "We already know you won't win. You're far too clumsy for the part of Odette!"

Duck nearly quacked. Instead, she sighed. _I was right... They really DON'T believe I'll make it!_

Meanwhile, Fakir was with a friend of his own.

"So I'm guessing you're going to be Siegfried?" Fakir asked Mytho.

His heartless friend replied, "I don't really want to be." This surprised Fakir. Mytho knew how everyone was expecting him to sign up to be Siegfried, and normally he did what people wanted him to do.

"Are you sure?"

Mytho nodded. "Yeah. I don't really like being the lead character all the time." To his friend, he said, "You should be Siegfried, Fakir."

Fakir blinked. "Me?"

The silver-haired boy nodded. "Yes. Unless you don't want to be."

Fakir paused. Then, "I'll think about it."

* * *

"WHAT? YOU'RE SIGNING UP TO BE THE PRINCE?" Duck cried. 

Fakir blushed slightly at all the people staring. "Will you just shut up?" he whispered harshly as he covered Duck's mouth.

When the students walked on, Fakir sighed and let go. "I'm _thinking _about it. Mytho doesn't want to do the part, so..." He paused. "Duck...?"

"Yeah?" asked the innocent girl.

"Aren't you disappointed?"

You could practically see the question mark looming over Duck's head. "Huh? About what?"

"About Mytho not being Siegfried. You love him, don't you?" Fakir asked coldly, trying to drown out the pain that was surrounding his heart.

Duck's face grew serious, then turned and looked at the scenery outside the window. After a moment, she said, "I told him...I don't love him."

Fakir's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Duck continued, staring sadly out into the distance. "I don't know why I suddenly stopped loving him; I thought I would always love him. I guess maybe even I don't know how the story's supposed to end. Maybe...I'm just not supposed to love anyone." With a small, forced chuckle, she added, "Maybe I'm just not supposed to be loved myself."

Fakir opened his mouth to speak, but Duck twirled around and forced a smile at him. "Normally, I don't feel this way. But when I do, you're basically the only person I can talk to. No one else expects me to feel like this, and you saw me cry, so..." Letting out a genuine smile, she said, "Thank you, Fakir!"

Once again, Fakir struggled and failed to gain control of his racing heart. "Whatever." He turned around and started to head towards the door. He paused. "You know, I bet you are loved as more than a friend, by someone. Maybe that someone's right under your nose." He turned, and nearly fell over when he saw Duck looking down, obviously concentrating.

"I don't see anyone..." she said.

"It's just a saying, genius," Fakir sighed. But against his will, he actually chuckled. Not loudly, nor for very long, but he chuckled nonetheless. "You're weird." Realizing what he'd done, Fakir gained his composure and said, "Come on, let's go practice."

When Fakir had laughed, Duck had felt her heart skip a beat. She wasn't sure why, but when he laughed, smiled, or even act like his normal cool self, Duck always felt...happy. She'd always passed it off as just friendship, but... When Fakir told her to hurry up, she cried, "O-oh! Okay!" and rushed to catch up with him.

Fakir definitely was going to sign up for the part of Siegfried if it meant dancing with Duck.

* * *

The days passed quickly as the two practiced hard. Duck made a significant improvement as she and Fakir practiced long and hard. Together, they conveyed their emotions so completely that it seemed as if they both truly were Siegfried and Odette. 

Finally, it was the day of the auditions. Everyone was nervous, but there was one person in particular who was beyond that...

"Duck... Duck!" Pike cried, snapping her fingers in front of the dazed duck-girl's face. Duck was waiting behind with all the other people trying out for a part, but she had lost touch with reality. She simply stared into space with a faraway look in her eyes. The only thought running in her mind was, _Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh..._

"Come on, Duck! It's time to make a complete fool of yourself!" Lilie said, gently shaking her friend.

Fakir watched the scene a few yards away. "That girl..." he muttered to himself. Walking over, he whacked the magical girl's head; not hard, but enough to get her out of her trance.

"Come on, snap out of it! You didn't practice this much just to freak out, did you? You'll do fine," said Fakir roughly.

"But Fakir, everyone else is so good, and I'm..." Duck whined.

"I'll whack you again if you keep up that attitude," Fakir threatened, holding up his hand as if ready to do so.

"Qu--" Duck began to squeal. Before she could finish, Fakir whacked her a little harder (A/N Boys, please don't actually do this to your crushes lol), keeping her from transforming into a real duck.

"Anyway, if you have no confidence like that, you're never going to win the part of Odette. So just do your best."

Still holding her sore head, Duck looked up, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, and said, "But...!"

Patting her head, Fakir said encouragingly, "You'll do fine. Trust me."

Duck stared at him as he walked away, ignoring her two best friends rambling on about Fakir. For some reason, she did trust Fakir.

"The next performer," Mr. Cat said into the microphone on stage, "is Miss Duck!"

Duck did a couple stretches quickly, then walked onto stage. She smiled as she heard her friends call, "Break a leg, Duck!" although their meaning was questionable.

"Miss Duck, you're going to be practicing a scene for Odette, am I right?" Mr. Cat asked, still a bit wary about Duck trying out for such an important role as Odette.

Duck nodded, and Mr. Cat got off the stage while the penguin pianist (A/N The pianist IS a penguin...right?) began playing.

Duck breathed in, then out, getting ready to dance and feel Odette's feeling. _"Trust me." _Fakir's words came back to her. She always felt so calm with him. The girl felt her heart speed up when she thought of the knight. His piercing, yet sometimes soft eyes; his raven-colored hair; his firm embraces; his awkward laughs and smiles...

Duck bit back a gasp. _Could it be...? No, it's impossible... But... _Duck found herself unable to even think full sentences. A blush covered her face, and she realized, _I'm in love with Fakir!_

This all occured in only a few seconds, right before the pianist got to the part of the song where Duck began dancing. In a way, Duck couldn't say she was too surprised; she now understood the many times she secretly felt so happy with Fakir. It made perfect sense. Even when she thought she was in love with Mytho, she had some feelings for Fakir.

Was she going to get hurt again? Would Fakir return her feelings? Duck wasn't sure. But a feeling of bliss swept through her.

The pianist began playing the part where Odette begins to dance. Duck did her movements, each one conveying the thoughts and feelings of Odette...and Duck. This dance was supposed to be when Siegfried and Odette meet.

_Fakir, I hope you're watching... _Duck thought, closing her eyes. _I'm dancing for you. _A smile appeared on her face, and she did a large jump.

Fakir watched in awe as Duck danced. His eyes widened when she did the jump. _Duck tried doing that in practice, but couldn't do it. How was she...? _

The dance ended, and Duck panted. She was the last one trying out for Odette, so the judges made their decision.

"Miss Duck will perform the part of Odette!" announced one of the judges.

At first, Duck couldn't believe her ears. Slowly, a smile appeared on her face as she cried, "Thank you!" She ran off behind the scenes. Fakir was there, waiting for her. He went to say something, but Pike and Lilie popped up between the two.

"Duck! That was awesome!" Pike shouted.

"This is even better than if you didn't get the part!" Lilie cried, hugging Duck. Fakir and Duck just stared and thought, _She really DID want Duck/me to fail!_

"Well, uh, thank you!" said Duck.

"C'mon, let's go celebrate," Pike said, she and Lilie grabbing onto Duck's arm. "You're treating Lilie and I to ice cream."

"Wait, I'm treating? I don't have any money!" Duck protested. "And besides," she said, her face getting a little red, "I want to see the rest of the auditions." _I want to see Fakir try out._

Lilie and Pike sighed. "Fine," they said in unison. "You'll treat us later." Then, they walked away.

Fakir and Duck stood in awkward silence. "So..." Duck began.

"So..." Fakir started. He cleared his throat, obviously mustering the guts to say this. "You...did good." _"You did good!?" What kind of compliment is that?!_

Duck, however, didn't mind at all. In fact, she seemed really happy. "Really?! That really means a lot, Fakir! And also," she said with a gentle smile, "I want to thank you. For everything."

Fakir blinked. Then he looked away. "I didn't do that much."

"Yes, you did, Fakir!" Duck protested. "You helped me practiced, and you gave me the courage to go up on stage! If it wasn't for you, I never would have even tried out!"

Before they could continue their conversation, Fakir's name was called to perform.

"Guess it's my turn," Fakir said, beginning to walk away.

"Uh-huh," said Duck. She gathered up her courage and called, "Fakir!" He turned around, a bit suprised, and Duck, her face dark red, stuttered, "Um, I hope you get the part of Siegfried."

Fakir's eyes widened, and gave her a small smile. He walked onto the stage and danced.

* * *

"FAKIR!" 

The knight turned around when he heard his name being called. He saw his favorite duck-girl rush up to him. "You were amazing!" Duck cried. It was only moments after Fakir got off the stage and heard the judges' results.

"I wasn't that good," Fakir muttered, disappointed.

"Yes, you were! Even if you didn't get the part of Siegfried, I'm really glad you get to be Von Rothbart!"

**Prettyinpinkgal: I'm ending this chapter there. As much as I wanted him to be the prince, I thought it'd be funny if he got to be the villain instead. Plus, you can sort of see him being Von Rothbart, you know? On a different note, I'm sorry that I rushed the part about Duck realizing she loved Fakir. I'm really sorry, but I wanted to put it in this chapter so bad, and it got totally rushed, and I think that Duck's OOC--then again, both she and Fakir seem OOC...Why can't I write anything in character anymore?! (ten minutes later) (coughs) Um, well, er, anyway, please review, even if you don't like it! Thanks a bunch!:)**

**P.S. It may take me longer to update, because I'm going to be moving soon, so yeah. But I will update again! XD  
**


	7. Chapter Seven: Skipping Class Again

**Prettyinpinkgal: I'm sorry for not updating in ages! I moved to a new state about a month after my last update, and then I began to write about other things. I did have this chapter partly typed up but...it was bad. REALLY bad. And it made the story more complex then I wanted it to be (I always do that! Whenever I want a simple love story, it gets way too complex and I end up getting stuck on more than one occasion! See my fanfic "Just a Dream". And that was supposed to be just a fluffy oneshot! *snorts*). However, I AM determined to finish this story, so even if it takes me quite a while, please know that it eventually will be completed!**

**Thank you all for your reviews--I greatly appreciate it. Without all of you, this story would have been discarded long ago. I will warn you that, as I no longer have Anime Network On Demand anymore (*sobs*) I haven't really watched Princess Tutu since I moved, so if it's out of character, I blame my lack of watching dancing ducks. ;)  
**

**Disclaimer: Thankfully, I own nothing. If I did, "Princess Tutu" would be a train wreck.  
**

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT**

**CHAPTER SEVEN: SKIPPING CLASS. AGAIN. **

Practice was hard, taking the place of their regular classes, and it seemed there would be no end in sight. Fakir pulled off Von Rothbart perfectly, making the cast shudder as he played his character perfectly. He had to admit, however, that despite his pride in performing so flawlessly, he wanted to cringe whenever Duck (half acting, half not) gazed upon him with a frightened expression.

And how was Duck faring with her role? She was doing surprisingly well, given how clumsy she usually was. She still couldn't stand on her toes, but Mr. Cat was willing to ignore this, given that she was a relative novice to ballet. However, he had a quick eye and did not hesitate to correct (or, more often, threaten her with marriage) when he saw her making a mistake in her movements.

The constant pressure was, however, affecting Duck. She stayed up later than usual, not only in her efforts to collect the heart shards, but also to work on her routine. Dark bags under her eyes were becoming usual for her. She ate very little, and when she did, it was to have a salad or some healthy meal. And the more she tried to perfect her role, the less she was able to identify with Odette.

"No, no, _no!_ Miss Duck, you must put more _emotion_ into your performance! If you do not...I WILL HAVE YOU MARRY ME!" Mr. Cat cried, causing the students to cringe once again.

All the students, that is, save Duck. "I'm sorry," she murmured, far too exhausted to muster anything else out. She redid the section, putting as much energy into it as she could.

"Now you're over the top," sighed her teacher, laying a paw on his forehead. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, I'm alright," Duck lied.

Fakir looked at her sharply. He had been watching Duck's steady decline for weeks now. It was two weeks before the performance would be held, and while the movements were now technically flawless, there was no meaning behind them anymore. It was no longer dancing; it was merely a way to move, such as walking for no purpose. She was now almost as emotionless as Mytho.

And now she was at an all time low. She looked ready to pass out at any second. Fakir had tried to talk to her before on several occasions, but she was always so busy. And now look at her.

_All that hard work for nothing! _he thought bitterly, not taking his eyes off of Duck. If she didn't shape up by the end of today's practice, he had overheard, Mr. Cat would be replacing her with the understudy. And Duck, even in this state, would be devastated if that happened.

He walked over to her and put a hand to her forehead, startling her. "You idiot, you still have your fever. I told you, you were in no condition for practice today, and now look at how you're dancing!"

"I--" Duck began, tired and confused and in no mood to think about what on earth he was talking about.

"Mr. Cat," Fakir began, "will it be alright if I take Duck to her room? She won't make any progress practicing in her state."

"That sounds like a good idea. You're excused from practice today as well. You have your part down. Make sure Miss Duck rests." His eyes suggested he knew exactly why Fakir was making up such a fib.

"Yes sir. Come on," said Fakir, grabbing Duck's arm and dragging her out of the room.

"H-hold on! I...have to change." Her eyes closed for a moment, than jerked open. "Fakir, stop!"

He halted. "Fine, but I won't wait long."

"You won't need to!" Out of sheer adrenaline, Duck went into the changing room, took a quick shower to rinse off the sweat, threw on her uniform, and caught up to Fakir in only a couple of minutes. The toll, however, was obvious; she could not walk in a straight line, nor could she walk quickly.

Fakir sighed, using annoyance as a veil to hide his concern, then picked up Duck bridal-style.

"Ah! What are you doing?" she asked, momentarily wide awake.

"Just go ahead and sleep," he answered gruffly, the pink on his cheeks obvious to Duck even in that angle. "You can't perform if you're exhausted all the time. And if you can't perform, you'll be dismissed from the roll. At least if you fake being sick, you'll be excused."

"O-oh. Thanks," she said. A part of her was thrilled that she was being held by Fakir, but it was drowned out by the heavy tide of sleep which engulfed her. Within a second, her eyes closed and she buried her head into her "pillow", allowing herself the luxury of dreams.

* * *

Fakir stared at the door in annoyance. He could always just set Duck down briefly to open the door to her room, but...he rather liked how she was gently clinging to him.

He shifted her gently and just barely left his hand exposed enough to turn the handel and open the door. It was a plain room, he could see. Nothing decorated the walls. It was dark inside, but as he set Duck on the bed, he could see that it was a much less stately room than his own. It was not merely that Duck had her own room, and therefore needed less space. It was significantly less quality that even the usual single-person bedrooms.

_It must be because she doesn't really have to pay tuition_, Fakir thought. He could not help but feel a bit sorry for her not having anyone to look after her.

He stood up to go get some food--he smiled a bit as he thought of perhaps getting her breadcrumbs--but could proceed no further, as Duck had once again grabbed a hold of his shirt.

He sighed, although he smiled a bit at the same time. "Hey," he whispered. "Let go." He took her small hand in his and gently tried to unclench her fingers.

"No," Duck whined quietly in her sleep, tightening her hold before once again falling into a deep slumber.

"I think I'm the one who's really sick," Fakir sighed. Because he did not think anything was cute. Not a baby puppy, not a tiny tot. Nobody and nothing was cute to him. Ever.

And right now, he couldn't help but grin at how absolutely adorable Duck looked when she was asleep. And clinging to his shirt like that! He covered his eyes as he grinned.

Yes, something was definitely wrong with him.

* * *

Duck awoke just before afternoon arrived the next day. She felt more rested now than she ever had over the past few weeks. She heard the birds, and knew they were hungry.

She hummed a song from Tchaikovsky as she got the food ready. "Good morning!" she called as she opened the window and was ambushed by her hungry little friends.

She collapsed to the floor from the attack and set the bowls down--and away from her. Once the birds flew to their meals, Duck spit out the feathers and laughed. Turning to talk to her friends, she stopped as something caught her eye.

Something--no, some_one_--was on her floor, covered in one of her blankets.

She roomed alone, so it wasn't a roommate.

The person groaned, and the voice was that of a boy's.

_Holy--!_

"KYAAAAAAAAA! PERVERT! GET HIM, MY PRETTIES!" Duck shrieked, pointing at the thus-far unidentified boy.

The birds, now full and content, were happy to oblige.

"Wha--?" the creep yawned as the first bird zoomed in for a peck. "Ow! What the he--?! OW! Crap! Duck, call off your birds! For the love of--! Duck!"

She then identified him. "Oh! Fakir! Okay, that's alright! Thanks, you guys; you can go now!" The birds once again followed her orders and left through the window.

Duck rushed to her dear friend, nervously glancing around to see if any serious damage had been done. "I am _so sorry _Fakir! I didn't realize it was you! I think it was a pervert!"

"What would a pervert be doing in _your _room?" Fakir snapped, unhappy to have been awakened by such distressing circumstances as being pecked to death.

Duck glared, then started poking at one of the slightly bleeding areas.

"OW! What's with you?" he demanded as he tried to wave her hand away.

"You just insulted me, that's what!" Duck replied, poking harder.

"AGH! Fine, I'm _sorry_!"

Duck immediately stopped. She stared into his eyes and realized he meant it, although he was still greatly annoyed. "You know, Fakir, you're getting really good at apologizing."

He sighed, standing up and searching for some band-aids. "And this is what I get for looking after you," he grumbled.

As soon as he uttered those words, Duck remembered yesterday's events. "O-oh, that's right. Fakir, you were here all night?"

"...Yeah."

She smiled. "I'm sorry I worried you. I'm already feeling a lot better. Let's see, band-aids, band-aids... Ah! Here they are!" She skipped over to them and knelt down next to Fakir. He reached for the box, but she held it away from him.

"No way. You took care of me all night, and so I'm going to take care of you now!"

He sighed again and gave in.

She commenced with cleaning the various wounds and then sticking on the bandages. "I'm sorry about this, really."

"Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, but--"

"Just get better. It...bugs me to see you like this."

Duck nodded, a small blush on her cheeks. "Yeah, okay. I just--"

"Thought you were doing your best if you did all this, I know. But it's actually hindering you. You can't relate to Odette anymore if you're caught up in your own physical problems and you're too worried about having your moves be exactly perfect. You need to concern yourself about it, not get too caught up in the physical elements of dancing, or else it's not dancing."

"But how do I do both?" she demanded, the tears she had long held back threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I can't do this, Fakir! My understudy _should _take the part!"

Once Duck finished treating him, he finally spoke up. "What you need," he began, standing and moving towards the door, "is a vacation."

He glanced back behind him to see Duck staring at him starry-eyed. "Fakir! You're so rich, you can go wherever you want whenever you feel like it?!"

"Idiot. I just meant a break. In Kinkan Town."

"Oh." That was decidedly less thrilling, but it still roused her interest and excitement. "But what about practice?"

"Mr. Cat will understand. Now are you coming or what?"

"Y-yes!"

* * *

The first stop was a restaurant. Fakir kicked her under the table whenever she tried ordering something small. Finally, after many bruises, she ordered a large meal.

As she gobbled down the grub, Fakir found himself nearly spitting out his beverage. His mind had suddenly thought, _This could be considered a date_. And poor Fakir nearly choked as a result.

"Faghir, rr yu ahrigh?" Duck asked, not pausing to stop eating as she found herself relishing in the taste of something other than salad.

"F-fine! Hurry up and eat so we can go!"

Duck tilted her head, but did as she was told with little hesitation.

Once out of the restaurant, they walked aimlessly in silence. "So," Fakir began, then stopped in dismay as he realized his voice had cracked. He cleared his throat nervously and said, "So, where do you feel like going?"

"Uh, I dunno. Anywhere's fine!" Duck replied with a bright smile. _It's the truth_, she thought shyly, _I'm fine with anything as long as I'm with Fakir..._

She stopped walking abruptly. Fakir took one more step, then turned to see her accusatory look.

"You know, Fakir," she said slowly, "it's not good that you keep encouraging me to skip classes."

"That's true. You do need them."

"Hey!"

He regarded her coldly. "If you want to attend class, then stop making everybody worry about you."

At first, Duck froze under his unfriendly gaze, her old fear of Fakir returning for a moment. Then she relaxed, as she remembered that he's only cold to the people he truly cares about. "You know what? I think I'm going to make it my goal to make you laugh hysterically at something."

"And where is this coming from?"

"It's my response to your unfriendly attitude!" she said proudly.

"Wow. You sounded intelligent for once."

Duck pursed her lips in a huff, then laughed. Taking his hand, she said, "I heard there's a comedy team this week! Let's go see them!"

"Whatever," he mumbled, ignoring the warm feeling that came when her hand wrapped around his large one.

* * *

"HAHAHAHAHA! That was HILARIOUS!" Duck cried an hour later. "W-weren't they good, Fakir?!" she managed to say in between bursts of laughter.

"Yeah, sure."

"Come on, you didn't think they were funny?!"

"Are you kidding? They sucked!"

"Liar!"

"Idiot."

"You have no sense of humor, Fakir! It's depressing!"

"You just have a pathetic sense of humor. Someone could tell a knock-knock joke and you'd laugh hysterically."

"But they're _funny_."

"...I prove my point." But he smiled despite himself. It was so very Duck.

However, the object of his affections noticed his smile. "Aha! So apparently, you enjoy it when I make a fool out of myself!"

"You're way too energetic for someone who's supposed to be recovering."

"I'm all better now. Really!"

"Are you sure?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"What about if you try being Odette?"

Her smile froze. _Odette was sad because she couldn't be with the one she loved, and I guess I am, too, _she thought morosely.

"So you can't become her?" Fakir inquired, noticing her fallen expression.

"No, I can. Maybe too much," Duck finally said. However, her serious expression did not let up.

Now her companion was starting to become concerned once again. "Are you sure you're all--"

He broke off suddenly, as soft pink lips suddenly came into contact with his cheek. The two were frozen, Duck on her tip-toes, Fakir's mouth still open.

And then, reluctantly, she backed away. The full realization of her action suddenly occurred to her as she turned bright pink. "I-I wanted to show you, um, how much I appreciated your friendship, Fakir! Y-you've been so nice, a-and, and...!" Tears were welling up now. How could she possibly have done such a thing?! He'll definitely hate her now! Or at least be creeped out!

_I've ruined everything!_ she wailed mentally as she placed a smile on her face and tried to stop her trembling. "I--I think I'm going back to bed now. I want to be fully, you know, rested for tomorrow's practice! B-bye!"

She turned on her heel and ran, as fast as her skinny legs could take her.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I hope that wasn't too bad! If you would, please take the time to review! I'd really appreciate it!**


	8. Chapter Eight: Payback

**Prettyinpinkgal: I got reviews! (jumps for joy) I honestly thought there would be little chance for that, given that it's been almost three years and I figured anyone who had enjoyed this story would not be interested anymore. However, I got a few reviews already, and that just makes my day! Thank you~!**

**This chapter is going to be fun to write. Drosselmeyer finally gets told off XD And also, there's a bit more fluff in this chapter ;) You can thank me in your reviews lol! JK Also, apologies for the shortness of the chapter, but the sooner it's out, the better, right?  
**

**I believe there will be only a couple more chapters! Yay!  
**

**Disclaimer: Thankfully, I own nothing. If I did, "Princess Tutu" would be a train wreck.  
**

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT  
**

**CHAPTER EIGHT: PAYBACK  
**

"I want to diiieee..." moaned Duck into her pillow after she had cried herself silly. "Fakir and I will never be able to be friends again, and I'm gonna be _miserable_."

"Oh dear, Duck, whatever will you do?" came Drosselmeyer's voice.

The duck-girl jumped a foot in the air. "Qua--! Drosselmeyer, this isn't a good time, you know!" she cried.

"You've created an interesting twist in the story, Duck, and for that, I am grateful," chuckled the old man as his face appeared on the wall, which made Duck tremble from the creepiness of it all. "The princess who fell out of love with the prince, and instead found her knight in shining armor! How delightful! And what a forward princess, at that!"

"I-it's not like it was on the lips..." The idea of it made Duck's entire face turn red. "And you shouldn't watch my love life, it's impolite!"

"This is all part of my story, little duckling. I _have _to watch it," the author laughed.

Duck jumped off her bed and approached the wall, fury engulfing her as she slowly made her way towards that strange, bizarre face. "You look here, mister," she said quietly and menacingly (that is, as menacingly as Duck could manage). "This. Is. Not. A. Good. Time. Go. Away."

"Oh, but while you may not see me, I can still see every move my beloved characters make. And what a delightful characters you are! The duckling gets a backbone and kisses the prince's knight--"

"THAT'S IT!" screamed Duck. "YOU ASKED FOR IT, BUDDY!" She jumped across the room and started kicking the wall--not exactly the most effective method to get back at Drosselmeyer, but it certainly felt good.

At that moment, as Duck continued hitting the wall and Drosselmeyer laughed at the futility of her actions, her bedroom door swung open to reveal Fakir. "Duck, I--!"

The cast members of the story froze. Duck had halted in mid-kick, and Drosselmeyer's mouth was still open from laughing as their eyes met Fakir's, who was standing in the doorway, bewildered.

"I'm afraid I must go! Ta-ta!" Drosselmeyer cried, disappearing.

Duck slowly lowered her foot, embarrassed beyond belief.

Silence ensued for several minutes.

"Uh," Fakir began awkwardly, "what was that?"

"Drosselmeyer was at the wrong place at the wrong time," Duck muttered, her face burning.

"I...see..." Although he really didn't. He decided to change the subject. "So about that, uh, ki--"

"Don't say it!" Duck ordered vehemently.

"But--"

"No!"

Fakir, as impatient as always, quickly said, "Kiss!", which resulted in Duck crying, "Quack!" and vanishing into a pile of clothes. From that pile, a small, humiliated duckling appeared. She proceeded to quack at the startled Fakir several times, telling him in duck-language to get some water and turn around and _don't look!_ Although he did not understand a word she had said, he recalled with great embarrassment her explanation of turning into a duck some time ago and left for a few minutes, returning with a bucket of water which he quickly dumped on Duck once she was away from her clothes so the garments wouldn't get wet. Immediately after the water flew from the bucket, he turned and quickly left through the door, slamming it behind him.

A minute later, Duck said resignedly, "You can come in now."

He did, and both were blushing like mad. "What did you want to say?" Duck grumbled reluctantly.

"W-well, I wanted to ask you why you did it, stupid," Fakir snapped, falling back into his old routine of treating those closest to him with coldness.

"I told you why I did it!" Duck shot back, embarrassment making her irritable and bold.

"But was that the real reason?"

Duck looked up at him then, startled by the sudden softness to his tone. His face was dangerously close to hers, and if they both moved towards each other just a tad...

His eyes were smoldering magnets, often cool and distant, and the magnets now drew in their opposites, Duck's emotional and open eyes. The pull was too great for either person to turn away, and even blinks were starting to grow annoying, as they blocked their view of the other for a millisecond.

Fakir moved ever so slightly nearer, abandoning the emotional restraint he had worked so hard to build up with friends, with family, with...

Well, there really was no way to describe Duck except as Duck.

His lips found hers, soft and bright pink. There was nothing especially exciting about it; it was merely two people's lips touching. But that was fine on both sides, for they were still in shock.

After several moments, Fakir reluctantly pulled away. Duck gazed at him, her lips a bit more red than they had been previously, while trying to regain her ability to think.

_Fakir._

_Fakir...kiss..._

_Fakir...kissed...me..._

_Fakir kissed me?_

_Fakir..._

_HOLY---!!!_

"Qua---! F-Fakir, why did you do that? O-oh, I got it, it's because um, you were teasing me! Heh! O-or, you meant to, uh, I dunno, pat my head or something, and you, you know, slipped! Or--"

"Pat your head?" Fakir repeated with a blank expression, who also was trying to regain his ability to contemplate.

"Y-yeah! Or, something..." It was too much. Duck buried her face into her skirt as she drew her legs towards her, looking rather pitiful in such a position. She probably would have been very happy, if she was only able to believe that Fakir had not kissed her unintentionally.

_Oh geez! _she moaned in her mind. _I never want to hear the "k" word again!_

Fakir stared at her for a moment, then turned bright red as he realized he had not been daydreaming the whole incident. "I wasn't trying to pat you on the head," he said intelligently, then mentally beat himself up for the lack of his usual coolness. "It was payback!"

Duck's head tilted slightly so that she could see Fakir's face a bit. "For what?" she muttered.

"For your kiss."

**Fwoosh! **She hid her head again in a rustling of her uniform.

She began saying something, but unfortunately, Fakir was unable to make out a single word due to her muffled mouth.

"What was that?"

She became silent, and then her head popped up completely. Her blue eyes were quickly filling with tears as her face took on an embarrassed and angry flush. "I _said_, I can't believe you did that to me! To think I thought you were a good guy! And you did it for 'payback'?! Because, what, I kissed you _out of gratitude_, and you totally--! AGH! Get out, Fakir! Just go away! That was my _first kiss_, you big fat jerk!"

Overwhelmed by Duck's fury (_I never knew she could be so mad_, he mused), he could only say, "I didn't know you knew a big word like 'gratitude'."

She let out a high-pitched scream, which made him cringe. "Out! _Out!_" she cried, kicking him until his back was towards the door. "Just _go!_" she demanded as she pulled on the door to open it and tried to shove him through.

"Hold on--" he tried to say, now that his brain was considerably less foggy.

"No! And you know what? I'm _glad_ you didn't get the part of Siegfried! The part of Von Rothbart fits you _much _better, and I'd _hate_ pretending I was in love with a stupid, terrible person like _you_!"

With that, she slammed the door and locked it, trying in vain to drown out Fakir's protests on the other side.


	9. Chapter 9: The Depth of One's Character

**Prettyinpinkgal: Thank you for the reviews, everyone! I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well! By the way, yes, I realize Duck is very OOC, but she's supposed to be acting different. After all, she's an angry, humiliated, heartbroken girl; this isn't something she can brush off and go back to smiling at Fakir. Plus, it's fun writing a Duck like this, so she will still be OOC at times during this chapter :)**

**I will not be able to update any time between July 2 and July 10 because I will be in jolly old England! Yay!! So do not expect any updates during that time and probably not immediately after I return. Please review, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Chapter 10 is most likely the last chapter, so I hope you enjoy that one, too!  
**

**By the way, since it was, I think, my own imagination, I will not put the following in the disclaimer, but shall mention it here. I've been watching the fantastic anime Garasu no Kamen/Glass Mask on Crunchyroll and that may have affected my writing, especially during the "characters speech", although I was not intentionally referencing it.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nada.  
**

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT  
**

**CHAPTER NINE: THE DEPTH OF ONE'S CHARACTER  
**

The next day, Duck walked into rehearsal with determination.

"Ah, how nice of you to join us, Miss Duck," Mr. Cat said with a little sarcasm. "Have you reconnected with Odette's character?"

"Yes, I have," Duck replied forcefully. Ordinarily, she would have cowered afterward for being so rude, but she was far too heartbroken. And what better way to use that pain than to convert it into anger so it could give her the strength to see _him _today?

Mr. Cat was not stupid, and he presently said with amusement (and a bit of concern), "You'd better watch your tongue, Duck, or...I WILL HAVE YOU MARRY ME!"

"Not even you would marry me after what happened to me, Mr. Cat," Duck spat back, walking over to the bar and during stretches as though her life depended on it, using the thought of her stolen first kiss to her advantage. The students looked on in amazement, and Fakir debated with himself as to whether he should wait until later to talk to her or if he should risk his very life to speak to her now.

"Duck? What happened?" Mr. Cat asked, now flabbergasted.

"Thank you for asking, because I really need to vent about it to someone! Pike and Lilie were busy today and so I didn't have a chance to talk to them about anything! Okay, so yesterday, when I was supposed to be _recovering_--"

"Duck, just calm down," Fakir said anxiously, taking a step towards her.

Genuinely not noticing him, she continued. "When I was supposed to be _recovering_, _he_--" (pointing at Fakir) "--KISSED me! My first kiss! And he said it was payback for a friendly kiss on the cheek!"

Gasps resounded, and everyone turned to stare at a bright-red Fakir, who was covering part of his face with a hand. "It wasn't like that..." he ground out. _What have I done? _he wondered in dismay as the stares slowly turned into glares and whispers of "how despicable!" and "I knew Fakir was bad news, but to think he did _this!_ What a perv!" resounded. One person asked what everyone was too infuriated to say: "Why _Duck_?"

Duck heard Fakir this time, and whirled on him. "_Oh? _Then why did you say it was?" she demanded, her face flushed from anger and embarrassment.

"I wasn't thinking straight! Now would you stop embarrassing--"

"Oh, am I embarrassing you? Well..." Duck paused. "Too bad!" Her cheeks turned a darker shade of red at the embarrassment of not being able to come up with anything more creative.

"Could we just talk about this?" Fakir grumbled, now starting to get annoyed himself, although there was a very irritating inner-voice which chastised him, saying that this whole mess _was _his fault, after all.

"About what? I think you said plenty yesterday! Let's just do the stupid dance," Duck grumbled.

Surprisingly, she danced with more grace than usual, and her broken heart was conveyed so clearly that Fakir felt a pang in his chest for knowing that he was the reason for it. Her silent anger at Von Rothbart--at Fakir--burned whoever watched, whoever danced with her.

If there was one emotion which could not be fully conveyed, it was the joy Odette felt at the end of the production. By imagining what things would have been like if things had been different--what if she was not herself, but a wonderful, intelligent, beautiful girl? What if Fakir had been genuinely in (at least) like with her? What if she had not kissed him at all, and they had just stayed as friends?--Duck managed a smile, but it was so full of dreams of the impossible, so full of the _knowledge _that they were unobtainable, that she only made her fellow cast members feel like crying rather than feeling joyous.

Rehearsal ended, and Mr. Cat dismissed the entire class except for Fakir and Duck.

"I congratulate you both on your performance. Miss Duck, I'm pleased to see that you are healthier."

"Thank you," Duck muttered, standing as far away from Fakir as possible without looking very silly.

"And Fakir, I'm glad to see you exploring the different aspects of Von Rothbart's character."

Fakir expressed his appreciation, and noticed Duck's confused eyes.

Mr. Cat must have also noticed, for he said, "Yes, Miss Duck; he had performed in a vastly different manner today, but I'm afraid you were too upset to notice. Fakir was much less the heartless villain today, and was instead the antagonist with too much of a heart.

"Allow me to explain. The fascinating things about performing--be it ballet or in a normal play--is that there is never one particular way to perform a character. A good character has depth, for a character is meant to be a model of a real human being. Or a real cat," the teacher chuckled.

"No real person is two-dimensional. There are many different aspects to one's personality, are there not? You, Miss Duck, are generally very cheerful and chipper--which, I might add, can be rather grating on the nerves at times--but right now you are upset in many different ways. There are times, I'm sure, when even you are depressed, or lazy, or any other state. No one is so bland as to be entirely predictable all the time.

"Von Rothbart is the same way. He can be the selfish, fearsome villain which most interpretations make him out to be...or he can be Fakir's version: Desperately in love, so far so that he kidnaps the lovely Odette so he could at least own her, if not love her; perhaps a character who is even driven mad by the acts he commits for the sake of the love he harbors for Odette."

Duck's eyes widened. _Desperately in love? But why would he change his interpretation with only two weeks left until the opening night? He's been the "evil Von Rothbart" for so long now. Why would he suddenly change it? _She snuck a glance at Fakir and observed with great surprise that his cheeks were bright red, which the boy was most annoyed about.

Mr. Cat smiled, his whiskers twitching. "Might I also remind you, Duck, that ballet is not only telling a story--it is telling _feelings._ Dancers may find emotions to be easier to express through movements than words. Now, I hope you find your smile again, because while Odette _could _be conveyed as feeling both glad and upset, it would be less confusing for the audience if you were able to give a happy smile, alright?"

"Thanks, Mr. Cat," Duck said distantly, pondering over her teacher's words as she and Fakir left the dance hall.

Fakir jumped at the chance to speak to her in private, although he tried to be calm about it. "Listen, Duck. I know you hate me right now but just listen to me, okay? I wasn't thinking straight when I was talking yesterday."

"Were you thinking straight when you kissed me?" Duck asked in a quiet voice, still partly musing over Mr. Cat's speech.

Fakir paused, running his fingers through his raven-black hair. "It depends on how you look at it," he said finally.

"What do you mean, Fakir?"

"Listen, you better shut up and not laugh, got it?" he answered gruffly.

"Um, okay."

He sighed, looking up toward the ceiling as though asking the heavens (or Drosselmeyer) for support. "I've fallen for you...although I have no idea why since you're a tiny little busybody who sucks at ballet and has the intelligence of a gnat! And you hardly even _look _feminine, and you act like an oversized child!"

"Gee, thanks!" Duck grumbled before she registered his previous words, which resulted in her face turning a dark shade of red and her heart's pace quickened. "W-wait, what?"

"I'm in love with you," Fakir muttered. He concealed his embarrassment by turning his head away from hers.

"...Do you mean it?"

"I wouldn't exactly be saying it if I didn't mean it, would I?" snapped Fakir, who was starting to quicken his pace.

Suddenly, he stumbled backwards as Duck hugged him. "W-what are you--?! Stupid! Don't act like this just because I'm the first guy that's confessed to you!"

"I'm just so happy! What do I do?" Duck wondered out loud, her voice muffled by Fakir's shirt.

His eyes softened and he slowly returned the embrace. "You're...happy?"

She nodded. "Yeah. And Fakir?" Her grip tightened ever so slightly. His time with her, his occasional smiles, his change in his dance, his _heart_...they were all for her. And that made her very, very happy.

Looking up, her face bright pink as all the remnants of her anger melted away into joy, she smiled and said, "I love you, too."


	10. First Steps to Living Happily Ever After

**Prettyinpinkgal: I'm back! London was fantastic. Huge and exhausting, but fantastic. We saw "Wicked" while we were there, too, and that was so fun! "Popular. You're gonna be pop-uuu-lar!" I loved the part where Glinda (or "GAH-linda, with a GAH") finished singing "Popular" and brought the mirror towards her face and said, "Why, hel-loo!" Sheer greatness XD  
**

**Anywho, I was so excited to return from my trip to see so many reviews! Thank you all so very much! This will be the last chapter. Sad! But it gives me one less story to worry about updating, so I guess it's all good ;) I hope this chapter satisfies and is a delight to read! It's kind of choppy, but I think it's okay still. Thank you for sticking with me for so long!  
**

**Disclaimer: I own nada.  
**

**THE FEELINGS OF A DUCK AND HER KNIGHT  
**

**CHAPTER TEN: THE FIRST STEPS TO LIVING HAPPILY EVER AFTER  
**

It was not five minutes after they confessed their feelings that Duck and Fakir became the center of the school's gossip. Pique and Lilie had happened to walk by the corridor at the very moment the couple had exited the rehearsal room and begun their relationship-changing conversation. Their enthusiasm possessed them to run away and scream and squeal about the turn of events, often insulting Duck and occasionally Fakir in the process. Of course, such noise could not help but be overheard, and so a good majority of the school's small population overheard, who in turn told their classmates and friends about the gossip, who told their friends, and so on.

This shocking turn of events gave many students courage to talk to their secret crushes. "If Duck and Fakir can be a couple, then we _definitely _can be!" was a phrase often tossed around quite a bit. It became a day almost as lovey-dovey as Valentine's Day. Thus, when Duck and Fakir exited the school twenty minutes later, they saw very many couples blushing and giggling.

"What did we miss?" Duck asked, dumbfounded.

"No idea," Fakir replied.

A couple happened to pass by Fakir and Duck. They promptly did a double-take and gushed over how it's thanks to the knight and duck they were able to get together and congratulations and let them know if they ever want to go on a double date!

This consequently made Duck and Fakir turn dark red, and it also made the rest of the students on campus aware of the inspirational duo's presence. The other students came up with beaming faces, which made the new couple nervous and caused them to apologize and leave before any more embarrassing comments could be made. However, their sudden departure caused a fresh new rumor: that the reason they were leaving so suddenly was because they were going on their first date.

"H-how did they know?" Duck squeaked, feeling her heart pound as they quickly walked away from school grounds.

"I don't know, but whoever blabbed, I want to kill them."

"Well," Duck said with a nervous laugh, "I guess they were bound to find out soon enough."

Fakir only looked away, letting out something that sounded suspiciously like a childish "hmph!".

This only caused Duck to laugh again.

There was no handholding, kissing, or any other affectionate action. In fact, they were acting more like their old selves, like the people they were before love found them. In this awkward stage, which was much like uncharted territory, they were unsure and hesitant, not knowing what to do now that their mutual wish had come true.

But there were some barely noticeable differences. Fakir did not walk as far from Duck as he used to, and despite their embarrassment, they were still more relaxed than they had been when they were sort-of enemies.

The air between them was different as well. It was almost sparkling, or perhaps that was only Drosselmeyer's doing, trying his hand at writing a romance that wouldn't end in tragedy...hopefully. And there was an affectionate gleam in their eyes which they now no longer attempted to veil.

And there was also that small smile that Fakir wore when he was certain Duck wasn't looking.

* * *

_Swan Lake _received fantastic reviews. Fakir was honored for his bold and engaging adaption of Von Rothbart's character. Duck was declared in one paper as "very elegant, despite not being the best dancer mechanically. She stole our hearts." Fakir did not hesitate to point out to her that it was probably the only time she would be described as elegant, and she had better enjoy it while it lasted.

"You're mean," she had huffed.

To celebrate their success, Charon had invited Duck over to have dinner. He had gotten the truth out of Fakir after Charon had overheard some gossip about the new couple and wanted to see if they had indeed gotten together. Upon hearing Fakir's mumbled affirmation, Charon decided to back off and merely said, "Finally!"

And so, along with a boyfriend, Duck felt a bit like she had gained a family. Charon was what she had always imagined a father was, and he already thought of her as a daughter (and, he thought, it would not be surprising if she someday became his daughter-in-law...but that was a long way off).

Duck could not remember a time when she was happier.

And her joy increased when Fakir discovered a hidden ability: Apparently he was Drosselmeyer's successor. Kraehe, who had disappeared for some time, returned a few weeks after _Swan Lake_ premiered, and Fakir quickly but carefully wove a peaceful and happy conclusion to the story. Kraehe returned to simply Rue, and Mytho's heart fully returned to him. And Fakir managed to enable Duck to stay human, although she was no longer able to transform into Princess Tutu. Furthermore, all the students at school returned to human form and were no longer the peculiar animals they had once been.

It was truly a happy ending.

* * *

"Hey Lilie?"

"Yes, Duck?"

"I was just wondering: Are you related to Drosselmeyer?"

Lilie tilted her head. "Who?"

"Well, you both love misfortunes and you both think it makes things so much more interesting... Doesn't she remind you of Drosselmeyer, Fakir?"

Fakir shuddered.

"I take that as a yes."

He glanced up at her. "I always wanted to ask: Why do we have to sit with them during lunch, anyway?"

"Hey!" Pique huffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You guys insisted on making sure I wasn't going to go out with her just for kicks and to make her cry, and so you demanded on sitting with us that first month." His eyes were closed, but his eyebrow was twitching, giving away his irritation. "But it's been six months now. What the heck?"

"Because it'll be even better if you break up with her now!" Lilie said with a smile. "Now that Duck's in a steady relationship, she'll _really _cry if you break up with her!"

"I hate you guys," Duck muttered, her face paling at the very thought of breaking up.

"I'm not breaking up with her!" Fakir said, his eyebrow twitching even more now.

"Are you sure?" Pique and Lilie said in unison, leaning towards him.

"Yes! Now, come on, Duck!" he ordered, grabbing his lunch and going towards a different tree to sit under.

"Uh, wait!"

"Now, Duck!"

"Okay, okay!"

They sat under a nearby tree to make sure Pique and Lilie stayed away from them. For added emphasis, Fakir took out a piece of paper and wrote how Pique and Lilie grew bored of spying on them and tried acting like normal people for once.

Duck read this, and while she laughed--especially after seeing that Pique and Lilie had, in real life, shrugged and went inside the school--she couldn't help but ask, "Is it okay for you to abuse your power like that?"

"Probably not, but what I'm doing isn't on the scale of what Drosselmeyer did, so it can't be that bad."

"True."

The soft wind blew, ruffling their clothes and causing their hair to sway.

"Fakir?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you really think we'll last?"

Fakir glanced down at her. He sighed, as though it was some bothersome topic, and put an arm around her. "Let's see. After all we went through, I think we can handle staying in love, don't you?"

Duck glanced up at him, too. She smiled and laid her head on his chest. "Yeah." Because the feelings of a duck and her knight could not disappear so easily.

And so, as all stories not written by Drosselmeyer end, they all lived happily ever after.

The End.


End file.
